As the owner of Boulder auto repair shop Fuji Motors, mechanic John Javorek cultivated strong relationships with his customers and left an indelible mark on many of their lives.

Following his suicide in January, his impact on those that knew him was demonstrated when an estimated 200 of his customers--members of what he called the "Fuji family"-- attended his funeral in Lafayette, family members say.

The future of Fuji Motors was obviously in doubt after Javorek's death, but thanks to the efforts of family and friends the business he poured so much time and energy into over the years has found new life.

After securing financing, equipment, and finding a small staff to get things started, John's younger brother Pete Javorek and good friend and former Fuji mechanic Josh Gough on March 11 opened the doors of Legacy Automotive.

Located in Fuji's location at 1900 55th St., the shop has a new name and new phone number--303-396-0555--but Pete Javorek and Gough are dedicated to carrying on the business with John's dedication to honesty, fairness and reliability in mind.

"My brother built a successful auto shop on family values. That is why he had so many customers that kept coming back," Pete Javorek said. "We're obviously taking a chance here but we believe in John's business and our customers very strongly. We're doing this to honor John."

Gough worked with John Javorek at a now-closed shop on Pearl Street more than a decade ago and followed him to Fuji when the shop opened in 2001. Gough left Fuji motors in 2011 when his wife took a veterinary position in Alaska, but flew back to Colorado immediately after learning of his friend's untimely death. He resigned from a job fixing service vehicles at Alaskan airports to return to Boulder and open Legacy Automotive with Pete Javorek.

"It's a business but it's kind of become its own entity," Gough said. "We lost John but we can keep a part of him alive and that's why we picked the name Legacy Automotive, to carry on John's legacy in this business."

While Gough will head up the day-to-day operations, Pete Javorek, a manager for Coors Distributing Company, said his focus will be on promoting the shop.

Pete Javorek said he hopes to get the word out about Legacy Automotive by holding a grand opening event next month. He is preparing to launch a website and Facebook page for the shop, and hopes to bring in customers from across Boulder and Broomfield Counties, noting that "if you trust your mechanic you'll drive miles to see that person."

John Javorek's fiancée Ange Mardick has joined the staff at Legacy as the part-time office manager, and former Fuji mechanic Ricardo Cervantes is also on board.

Pete Javorek and Gough credited Boulder developer Stephen Tebo for helping them keep the shop going. After John Javorek's death, Tebo, who was Fuji's landlord, became the official owner of the business. Pete Javorek said Tebo called him personally to offer condolences after his brother's death and tell him the business was his to buy if he wanted it, despite other people lining up to purchase it.

"Stephen Tebo was very fair with us. There were a lot of people in line that would have paid more," Pete Javorek said.

Gough said some former Fuji customers have already stopped by Legacy for service and to show their support, with one person bringing the staff a tray of brownies Friday.

"So far it has been very positive," he said.

Longmont resident Taran Niemann was among the Fuji customers who visited Legacy last week, coming in for an oil change on Friday. Despite living miles away, Niemann said she was a Fuji client because of the honest and reliable service and she came to Legacy because of the connection to John Javorek.

"I wanted to support them and support small business," Niemann said. "I loved John a lot and I think it's cool they are doing this."

Pete Javorek said he hopes to eventually start a scholarship fund through Legacy Automotive for his brother's two children, Anthony, 9, and Emma, 5.

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